Rubber molded parts or strips are often used to seal gaps and the like on automobiles, trucks and other vehicles and often also to enhance the aesthetics of such automobiles. For example, rubber molded strips are often applied around automobile door frames, window trunk frames and headlamps to provide a seal and prevent moisture, dirt and the like from passing inside the automobile or components of the automobile. Rubber molded parts may also be secured to the side panels or other components of the automobile for aesthetic, protective or other purposes.
It is important that such rubber molded parts be secured to the automobile in a manner such that the rubber molded parts remain secured to the automobile over a long period of time despite the wide range of weather conditions, such as, rain, snow or other moisture and the extreme cold and heat, usually encountered by automobiles during their useful lives. One heretofore known method of securing rubber molded parts to automobiles is by using two-sided tape. For example, it is known to use a tape, such as that sold by The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company under the name Brand 5404, having an acrylic polymer adhesive on one side which can be bonded to the rubber molded strip by application of heat to the surface of the tape. The acrylic polymer adhesive is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,879, which issued on Feb. 11, 1986 to Groves. The Brand 5404 tape has a pressure sensitive adhesive on its other side adapted to be secured to the automobile component upon application of pressure to the rubber molded part and the component. This method of securing rubber molded parts to an automobile has achieved limited success, however, because the rubber molded part often times separates from the tape, and thus, the automobile over time.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of attaching a strip, tape or the like to a rubber molded part that provides a durable attachment or bond between the strip and rubber molded part. It is further object to provide such a method for use in connection with securing the rubber part to an automobile or other vehicle.